“I started on a casual basis for six months doing luggage assistance, then I applied for a full-time permanent role as a station customer services assistant, despatching trains at Peterborough,” he says.
Thorpe’s favourite benefit is the bikes-for-work scheme, which is available via a salary sacrifice arrangement through the organisation’s voluntary benefits plan.
“I was already a keen cyclist and had owned a mountain bike for about five years,” he says. “The bikes-for-work scheme allowed me to purchase a road bike, which meant I was able to go longer distances and train longer. It has dramatically changed how I use my bike, how I get into work, as well as my training and the type of cycling I do.”
Thorpe also considers the organisation’s computer scheme, introduced in September 2013, to be a great benefit, although he has not taken advantage of it.
“I already have that facility and I have an iPhone,” he says. “If I hadn’t, that would have been my next option.”
